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"They’re working on getting it under control" Ria looked up as another group burst into the waiting rooreeted the to stave off their panic The couple sat down on

Si Ria lance as he continued to talk to Miaoling and Alex in a low voice, telling the to take theirin the room only a few feet away

They asked him all kinds of questions, but he knew they’d be unlikely to re them the distraction they needed, as Ria did the same with Amber’s parents Simon spoke to both his wife andto stay strong for his fath that held everyone together

His leopard growled in pride

Forty minutes later, there were tears of happiness, not sorrow Ah she’d have to stay in the hospital a bit longer than usual--the baby was a squalling ball of red-faced anger, and Jet was grinning like a fool

"What’re you going to call her?" Ria asked after everyone had piled into the room and reassured themselves that both entle finger to the baby’s cheek "That’s what she is--our Joy"

"It’s a beautiful name"

"Yeah Amber wants to use Nana’s name as a middle na his hand around hers Though her

face was lined with tiredness, Ae everyone out of the room

Half an hour later, E with Alex and Miaoling, since none of the to pick up Ria and her father Sier seat, as Ria slid into the back Emmett could feel the older man’s focus on him as they drove and it was no surprise to hear Sio inside We’ll be in in a moment"

Ria looked froative when she went to open her ot out and entered the house Elanced at Simon "I’ll take care of her"

"She’s special," Siirl to a late-pregnancy e a year after Jet was born We weren’t the same afterbut then Ria came She healed us She’s our heart"

E the sheer depth of everyone’s terror at the hospital tonight "I understand" And he did Because she was his

heartbeat, too

A pause Then Siot out "I’ll send Ria to you Save you sneaking up the wall"

Emmett winced "Um"

Siet into Alex’s roorinning when Ria slid into the passenger seat Before she could say anything, he started up the engine again "Think your dad would oing?"

"For a little ride" Putting the vehicle into hover-drive, he took thee that had been there so long, the world couldn’t i a sigh "I’lad everyone’s okay"

"Even ot himself shot up when I specifically told him not to"

The leopard batted playfully at her sharp response, delighted by her "Just checking"

Passing the e, he drove up a "secret" route that all the high schoolers knew about

"Hey, where does this go?" She twisted around "I’ve never been up here"

"Mink, you ood kid"

"I admit my nerdiness with pride" She made a choked up sound of surprise when she saw four other cars parked at the top, all of theht us to a etthe car at the end of the dirt lot, he slid away the manual controls, then reached over and

undid Ria’s safety belt "Cohter danced in her eyes as she shifted over to straddle hihs "We are notout in my parents’

car"

"Yes, we are That’s the rule You think those kids own those cars?" He nodded out the"Exactly"

Ria’s srew serious "I was so scared for you, Emmett"

"Hey" He pressed his lips to hers "I can’t promise you I’ll never be hurt, but I can pro in my power to come back to you every day"

Her lips trembled "If you don’t, I’ll co her at the hospital, he finally understood what she’d been trying to tell hiht be sh to take anything the world threw at her, a warrior in her oay It was ti her like one "You want to hear hoent down?"

A jerky nod

"Okay, we have the truck surrounded, and we’ve blocked off the streets he could use to drive out, so he’s a rat in a cage We wait till nightfall" He unbuttoned the first three buttons on her shirt